Pinpricks
by sorakazuma
Summary: Monster Tamer Tsuna Edition. Dino is attacked by a vampire one autumn evening, and learns there might be more of a gentle heart in the monster than what he had expected.


Pinpricks

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Monster Tamer Tsuna Edition

D18: Dino x Hibari

_Happy Halloween 2012~!_

Evening mass had let out a few hours before, and Dino had found himself back at his desk, doing paperwork, managing the budget and counting down the collections from the daily offerings to store away in the church safe.

His chocolate brown eyes shifted away from where he had been scratching ink along parchment, towards the wide arched window that gave a crystalline view of the cemetery just beyond the holy ground of the chapel. The moon had risen up over the line of trees, pale and full like a spotlight on starch black. It cast its silvery glow on the land, stretching shadows around the tombstones and causing the large boughs of the nearby maple tree to momentarily reach out, its weary branches like gnarled hands.

The priest closed his ledger, running his fingers through his honey blonde hair. It was coming up on that time of year again… all hallows eve… and he could feel the evil breeding in the ground around him, silently biding its time until it would surge out to conquer the human realm in one night of demonic bliss.

The breeze stirred the dying branches of the tree just beyond the window and Dino snapped his gaze up, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. For just a second, his eyes connected with something hiding in the darkness of the falling leaves, something with eyes that glowed in the dark with irises of pure crimson, the same color as the gorgeous seven-pointed lobes.

In the space of a breath, the priest bolted from his chair, snatching up his silver-inlaid whip which was hanging on a hook by the door. The fire crackled as he dashed by and he looked back at the room, the safety of the space within these walls. The only thing that had separated him from the terror of whatever had been stalking him was the mere layer of plaster and wood, and a covenant seal and blessing of holy water. It was laughable really, at what kept him contained, kept him safe. He could call it a night, act as if he hadn't seen anything and retire to his bed, acting none the wiser.

But then who would fall victim to the beast outside? Some poor villager? Heaven forbid a woman or child. No, he couldn't bear to let that happen. Without another moment to try and rethink his decision he let himself out of his warm study, dashed through the sanctuary and unlocked the heavy entrance doors.

The wind swept his bangs into his eyes, his white robes swaying around him. His fingers clutched the handle of the whip in his hand as he pushed the door shut and started around the side of the building to where the creature had been perched.

He could feel the monster's eyes on him from somewhere and repressed a shudder. It was still here, watching, waiting… for the perfect moment to strike. He kept his shoulders broad, put confidence in his step, idly swinging the whip back and forth in front of him, his bluff. The dried leaves cracked under the weight of his boots as he made his way up to the tree, dark brown eyes constantly shifting to try and maintain as much of his field of vision around him as possible.

Stopping at the base of the tree, he peered up through its massive branches, watching the way the moonlight reflected through the thin wispy leaves, causing them to shine ruby in its pale light. There was no sign of the monster as far as he could see and he gave a soft sigh. Maybe he had been reading too much into this, had been acting far too paranoid.

The breeze whipped up again, steeling the layers of his fabric like a knife and he shivered. He still had goosebumps. He was still shaken at the core. He still felt like he was being watched.

"Get it together Cavalone," he muttered to himself his fingers tightening around the leather in his hands. There was no monster, just wildly changing shadows and his over-active imagination. He would go back inside, pull the shades down and simply get some sleep.

The moon was whisked behind a cloud, the light fading all around him as he started back from the tree. Dino froze, looking up at the sky, and was just fast enough to react to the movement of something launching itself off the roof of the chapel. He spun on his heel as he got a good view of what was coming at him, horrified by the sight of those crimson eyes.

It hadn't been in his head after all.

He lashed out with the whip, the silver-coated weapon flailing through the air. It was caught by hands that looked much like human hands and with astonishing force, pulled nearly from Dino's hand. The priest held firm, until his boots began to slide on the muddy ground beneath him, and he found his feet knocked out from under him, landing hard on his back, the whip falling loose from his grip.

Before he had time to even gather a breath, the shadow had descended upon him, and he could hear the hiss of the burn the whip had left on unholy flesh, smell the distant scent of blood. His brown eyes widened as the figure leaned over him and he brought his knee up, kicking with all his might. It hardly did anything to budge the body over top of him and in desperation he scrambled to get his hand around the handle of the whip, his gaze caught in terror as those red eyes neared. He jerked his hand forward and the whip rippled like a wave, the tip cresting upwards and catching whatever was stalking him in the face.

He heard the wince and blinked, pulling himself up as the creature shrunk back away from him, a little more intimidated by the whip than he initially thought. The moon came back out from behind the clouds at that moment, staining silver light down on them.

Dino watched the red recede from those glowing eyes as the moonlight flushed the cemetery with light. The creature was not really a wild animal at all, at least not in appearance. It took the shape of a young man in a thick black cloak. His skin was pale, the color of the moonlight itself, and his hair was short and black as night. Startlingly enough, so were his eyes, gleaming charcoal on his face as if the red had been swallowed by those dark pits. He had impossibly long lashes and dark lines around his eyes that he seemed to come by naturally. He was holding onto his cheek, his slender fingers curled around his face so that they ran into his tousled raven hair. He scowled at the priest, showing a flash of sharp white fangs.

"That hurt!" He hissed, his thumb stroking over the tender skin.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Dino stammered out, finding himself so taken back, he was beside his emotions. "I just thought…you were trying to kill me."

"I should now!" The man snapped, his lips pulling back in a snarl.

The blonde swallowed, unable to stop himself despite his better judgment. "What…are you?" He asked after a minute.

Those dark eyes narrowed. "You're not very smart, for a Holy Man." He said with a cutting frown.

"I'm rather new here. I was transferred." Dino smiled at him. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just thought… you were beautiful."

Raven hues blinked and he sat up, letting go of his face where a red mark stood in stark contrast against his pale skin. It was obvious the priest didn't think he had said anything wrong but it was also the first time anyone had ever said anything like that to him.

"…Hibarin." He said softly, glancing away.

Dino tilted his head. "You're a Hibarin? I've never heard of those."

"My NAME is Hibarin!" He spat back at him, getting to his feet. "I'm a vampire, you moron."

"Oh. Ohhh." Dino smiled up at him. "I'm Dino Cavalone." He supplied his name, but just as he did, the young man pulled his cloak closer about his shoulders and started to walk away. "H-Hey, wait!"

"I spared your pathetic life." Hibari glared back at him. "There won't be a next time."

Dino opened his mouth to protest but before he could get a word in, the boy had leapt the distance between the ground and the roof in an instant and was gone into the night. The priest found himself stunned by what just happened, but more than that he felt so utterly rejected, and startling alone.

"Why won't there be a next time?" He asked softly, but the rustling of the leaves as they skittered around his feet was the only sound that answered him.

After that there was simply no going back for Dino. His every thought was about that gorgeous young man he had met in the graveyard one windy autumn evening. Some of the townsfolk knew about the demon and murmured whispers but nothing else in fear. He was eternally young, had slayed hundreds and mercilessly chose his kills, his victims, to inflict the most pain possible on the people around him. They called him a monster, a beast, one of the immortal who no man had any chance of killing or taming.

Dino kept his own opinion quiet, but he couldn't believe all that he was hearing. "He's not a monster." He told himself one evening, when he looked out at the tree, watching the last of life flutter off its branches in a rain of crimson. "I'm sure… he's just lonely."

The priest had never had these problems. He had been well-liked back in his hometown, and even though he had only been here the span of a few short weeks, he had already become quite popular with the townsfolk. He couldn't imagine what it was like to be shunned, to be looked at as if your life didn't matter.

"Heavenly father, I want to help him." He pressed his forehead to the window, the cold glass relieving his brain which was racing with thoughts a mile a minute. "I just want him to know that there's one person out there that cares."

Before too long, All Hallows Eve was upon them all. The church had been filled with those who had asked for prayer, for the safety of their friends and family on that horrible night, and most had confidently sought to keep the vampire lord Hibarin from feasting on them that night.

There had been no casualties in the village as far as Dino could remember, but they had heard that the next town over had been a different story. The priest didn't want to think about how or why it had happened, but he had come to the conclusion that if it had been the vampire, he wanted to stop him from mercilessly killing, and he knew how to draw his attention.

After the sun had gone down that night, the priest walked to the maple tree outside, outfitted in a large cape to beat the cold weather. Sitting down at the base of the trunk he made himself comfortably, his silver whip resting across his lap. From beneath the confines of his robe he pulled a dagger. The metal glimmered in the darkness as he stared at it and then gathered his nerves. He drew back the large sleeves of his cassock, placing the blade across his wrist and pressed down until the metal cut through his flesh. He bit down on his bottom lip as blood welled up around the edge of the weapon, trickling down onto the ground and then flowing freely until he could smell the iron stench in the air.

Shakily he dropped the blade, the point embedding itself in the wet soil and his bloody arm went limp at his side. He let out a sigh, trying to calm his wildly beating heart and gather his resolve. He would do this, or he would die trying.

A growl leapt through the air that made him shiver, and his gaze jumped, looking around the cemetery until he met a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Those were not Hibarin, and something else had been watching and waiting, becoming drunk on the scent of blood.

It was joined by another pair of crimson, and then a pair of green. Dino swallowed, finding himself curling his bloody hand up against him, pressing the fabric of his robes against his arm in attempt to stop the bleeding. Perhaps he hadn't thought this through all the way. Hibarin might have been deadly, but he wasn't the only dangerous thing living in the woods that surrounded their town.

He was already starting to feel light-headed and fear was starting to gnaw at him. Nothing moved; the eyes just started at him, as if waiting for something. He could hear the heavy breathing, and smell the undead around him. They were waiting for him to fall unconscious, waiting for him to grow ever weaker, and then they would converge on him and rip him apart.

Several minutes of this stalemate passed by and then the pair of red irises to the left of him moved, slinking back behind a tombstone. Dino jerked his head up, his good hand tightening on his whip. This was it. If he could make it to his feet, he could attempt to get to the safety of the sanctuary but he had a feeling, he would never make it that far.

Something hissed and he swallowed. He could hear the stamps on the earth now of something getting closer. He attempted to stagger to his feet, still clutching his bleeding arm to him. It was now or never.

The air around him suddenly grew thick. He coughed, finding it hard to breath. One minute there were pairs of eyes watching him, and then suddenly they were gone, vanishing back into the darkness as quickly as they had surrounded him.

"Do you have a death wish?"

The voice that spoke made him jerk his gaze over to the left, nearest the chapel. There sitting on a tombstone as if he had been there all along, were a pair of ruby eyes that were startling familiar. Dino's heart leapt in his chest.

"Hi-"

He never sensed him move, but in the blink of an eye, he had crossed the graveyard and was pressing the blonde back against the tree. Dino blinked, his open mouth conquered by a swift pair of lips and tongue that took instant control. His heart pounded wildly in response, throbbing heavily against his ribcage. The vampire's hand came up, laying across the priest's chest, the palm of his hand flat over it, before his fingers dipped and he pried the blonde's arm away from where he had been clutching it to him.

The kiss broke, and the priest had been so caught up in it that he blinked when he saw those dark eyes glared up at him, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"You are the stupidest human I have ever met." Hibarin spat at him, inspecting the wound. "What kind of idiot cuts themselves open-"

"I've been waiting for you." Dino said softly, feeling guilty for some reason.

The vampire brought the wound to his mouth, lapping the free flowing blood from it like a kid with a lollipop. "Why?"He asked, his tongue delving over where the blade had slashed his skin.

The other man swallowed, finding he couldn't tear his eyes from the sight before him. "I'd heard about you…and that you kill to feed."

"I'm a vampire." Hibari narrowed his eyes at him, turning his face over the wound so that he could place his whole mouth over it.

"I know that," Dino let out a soft breath, his dark eyes fluttering. He was dizzy, but there was something about the boys lips that had him captivated, had his body stirring in ways he'd never felt. "But what if you didn't have to kill, every time? What if you could just… drink what you need and leave the person alive?"

"Why would I do that?" Those dark eyes looked back at him. Ever so slowly he shifted, his attentions shifting from the wounded arm to the man before him as if he'd just found something entirely more interesting. "When I bite, I bite to kill."

"What if you didn't?" The priest persisted. "What if you just drank from me, and no one else?" He leaned back against the trunk of the tree, using it for support. His legs were beginning to struggle to hold him up, but he had never felt this way before. He was confident he could persuade him, all the while feeling like this was right. "I would give you whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted it. So long as no one else was killed."

Hibarin stared at him and then he saw the boy's face change slowly. His brows rose and for a moment he looked genuinely surprised. Those dark orbs softened and he gave a small arrogant smile. "You can barely stand any longer as it is, but I accept your proposal, Dino Cavalone." His small graceful hands reached out, grabbing Dino's jaw and jerking until those chocolate brown eyes met his. "Humans are always the most beautiful when they're about to break. I'm looking forward to seeing how long you'll last."

"Heh." Dino smiled, feeling relieved. No one else had to die, because of him. At least, not until he passed on or Hibarin grew bored with him. "I'll try not to disappoint you." With relief came the overwhelming feeling of darkness and before he knew it he was passing out, sinking further and further into the abyss.

Hibarin caught him, finding that his strength helped but still made this no less awkward with Dino being so very tall. Slowly he brought him back down under the boughs of the tree, resting the man's head in his lap. He took the priest's bruised and lacerated wrist to his mouth, kissing it until the wound was nothing more than a scab, running his fingers through the man's blonde hair.

"You are so very stupid," He huffed out, leaning back against the tree. "But so very courageous." He looked down at the priest, so vulnerable in this state. He had to be one of the most attractive mortals the vampire had ever laid eyes on. Gorgeous, kind and brave. Could there be anything more perfect?

"You make me want to break you all the more, my sweet Cavalone." He humphed, shaking his head. To end it all now would just remind him that at dawn, he would go back to having nothing. The bitter thought of loneliness kept him shackled to this human's side, standing guard over him while he slept, studying him, taking in the fine lines of his face, the texture of his hair, the way he murmured in his sleep.

When the sun finally began to rise, Hibarin yawned. He had spent the first night in nearly a hundred years without murder, pillage or various other crimes too naughty to name. Dino didn't look so pale either, a sure sign that he would recover from his near-death experience.

"Until the next time we meet," Hibarin murmured out, that small arrogant smile on his face as he leaned over him. "For now…"

When Dino rose midday, the horrible injury he had nearly bled out from was nothing more than a thin scar on his skin, nearly unnoticeable unless you were looking for it.

The delicious throbbing ache he awoke to stemmed from the pinpricks that had left small bruises against his throat, the clear mark of a vampire.

END


End file.
